John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, both George Russell and Max Verstappen are ready to move on from Azerbaijan
One of the major Formula 1 storylines coming out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the friction between George Russell and Max Verstappen both on the track, and off. The two came into contact early in Saturday’s Sprint race, and following the finish had a tense exchange trackside.
While their war of words continued into Sunday ahead of the Grand Prix, it seems both drivers are now ready to turn the page.
Both Russell and Verstappen were part of pre-race press conferences during Thursday’s media portion of the Miami Grand Prix, and each driver spoke as if the incident was well in the rear-view mirror.
Russell was up first, in the earlier session. He was asked by David Croft of Sky Sports if he would change his racing style as a result of the incident in Baku. “No, I will continue racing the same way as I always would. A lot has been said about that coming together but from my side, it was pretty straightforward,” said Russell on Thursday afternoon. “I went for a move, got the move done and moved on. Obviously he was pretty upset about it but that’s racing and these things happen. And we’re all here to fight so that’s what everyone’s about.”
Phil Duncan, from PA Sport, followed up with a question on whether Russell and Verstappen had spoken again since the incident to clear the air. “No, again, from my side there’s no air to be cleared. I’ll welcome and say hello to him if he passes by and I’m sure we’ll shake hands when we bump into each other,” answered the Mercedes driver. “For me it’s history now and it’s behind us. Yeah, my view to him is still the same, I still respect him, I still think he’s a great driver and obviously things were always said in the heat of the moment but yeah, we move on.”
In the second session, Verstappen was asked by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press how things were between the two drivers. The defending Drivers’ Champion turned to humor with his response: “Terrible! No, of course not,” joked Verstappen. “That’s what people maybe like to hear. But no, it’s absolutely fine.”
What might have helped ease tensions was how Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix played out. While both Verstappen and Russell were battling towards the front in the Sprint race on Saturday, Russell’s failure to advance to Q3 in qualifying for the Grand Prix saw him well behind Verstappen in Sunday’s main event.
Whether the incident from last Saturday truly is behind them could be tested if they are running near each other this weekend. But taking them at their word, Baku seems to be in the rear-view mirror.
